Arsenic and mercury found in river days after Brazil dam burst

RIO DE JANEIRO Nov 26 (Reuters) - Illegal levels of arsenic
and mercury polluted the Rio Doce river in the days after a dam
burst at an iron ore mine in early November in Brazil's
worst-ever environmental disaster, according to tests by a state
water agency.

The Institute for Water Management in Minas Gerais (IGAM),
found arsenic levels more than ten times above the legal limit
in one place along the Rio Doce after the dam burst on Nov. 5,
killing at least 13 people and flooding thick mud across two
states. Mercury slightly above the permitted level was also
found in one area.

In total, IGAM found unacceptable levels of arsenic on one
or more days between Nov. 7 and Nov. 12 at seven places on the
Rio Doce, which stretches over 800 km (500 miles) from the
mineral-rich state of Minas Gerais to Espirito Santo on the
Atlantic coast.

The report, dated Nov. 17 but only released on IGAM's
website on Tuesday after pressure from prosecutors, appears to
contradict claims by the companies responsible for the mine.

Samarco, the mine operator, and its co-owners, BHP Billiton
PLC and Vale SA, have repeatedly said the
water and mineral waste unleashed by the dam burst are not
toxic.

Samarco said in a statement on Thursday that their own tests
showed the mine waste in the dam, known as tailings, did not
pose any harm to humans.

On Wednesday, the United Nations human rights agency said
"new evidence" showed the mud "contained high levels of toxic
heavy metals and other chemicals," without specifying what the
chemicals were or where the evidence came from.

Leonardo Castro Maia, a prosecutor in the city of Governador
Valadares, which had its water supply cut off by the mud, told
Reuters he had been pushing IGAM to publish its findings on its
website. After a delay, he said the agency had complied.
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